Review on Fallout 4 VR (Vive)

In 2017 Bethesda released a virtual reality version of much-loved Fallout 4. Bringing games of this scale into VR gives hope to VR community that it soon will become a gaming standard. Naturally, porting a conventional PC game to VR is not an easy task. Bugs and glitches that Bethesda is famous for can be much more irritating in VR. So can you finally dive deeply into post-apocalyptic surroundings and truly feel yourself a survival of vault 111? Read our article to find out this and even more.

Gameplay

Fallout 4 VR is a version of 2015’s game that is compatible with HTC VIVE so the gameplay is mostly the same. Even though it is a solid game from a top publisher many players were upset because of the necessity to pay $60 on Steam for a 2-year-old game. Usually, VR games are much cheaper. Also, you can get it in addition to new HTC VIVE, while Oculus Rift remained officially unsupported.

The story is about Sole Survivor, who has been in cryogenic sleep for 210 years. The main action takes place in post-apocalyptic Boston, but we got a chance to see it before the “Great War” in the opening mission. This mission gives fewer options for character customization than the original game. You will literally play as a poltergeist and will not be able to see your face or any other part of your body throughout the game.

Continuing the body parts topic, shooting in Fallout VR is a totally different experience. New V.A.T.S. system slowing the time instead of stopping it, so it takes a bit of skill to hit the desired spot. Also, you can hold weapons only in one hand, even the 5mm minigun, which looks fake. But a Pip-Boy on the other wrist finally became functional and triggers when you lift a wand in front of your face.

Movements and controls

Bethesda added a new title to settings, especially for VR. The most anticipated option was a smooth locomotion mod, which gives more realistic feeling. Full movement mode has vignette settings to make it less nauseous. But the default movement option is teleportation mod. It is handy for players who are sensitive to motion sickness and additionally allows getting into houses throughout windows. Teleportation for long distances drains action points, which is similar to sprint mod. You should consider this during combat, when using V.A.T.S. Another useful feature is World Rotation which helps players with smaller rooms to turn left and right without spinning the headset around.

Many players think that standard Vive controllers do not have enough buttons for such a complicated game. Some essential features require scrolling trackpads or pressing same buttons for different amounts of time. So interactions with the world do not often go as they were expected, and you will whack your fellow Dogmeat with the gun several times. For beginners it is better to use the “Activation Helpers” to be more accurate. And if you are tired of standing, prepare to be much shorter than NPCs and enemies because the heights option is difficult to reset.

On the bright sight, the settlement building mod works great with Vive wands. After you get used to trackpads as a customization menu, placing and rotating turrets and traps in 3D would feel just fine. You can use teleportation only for movement, while building and crafting things. To sum up, most of the difficulties with controls will fade away after some time playing like with any other game. Despite Bethesda’s controversial choices, they tried to make controls adjustable for player’s taste.

VR platform offers Fallout fans something special. The idea of immersing into a radioactive world with its adventures and perils is thrilling. But Fallout 4 VR can only get you there halfway. Bugs, glitches and controversial decisions in design and controls ruin the experience for many players. That is going along with the $60 price tag for the 2-year-old content. On the other hand, creating a game of this scale from scratch just for VR would be economically unreasonable. If you are a Fallout fan, who owns the HTC VIVE headset you should definitely give it a try. For others, it may be more reasonable to wait until Bethesda releases Fallout 5 with VR in mind from the beginning.

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